Obituary of Gerald Milder

Gerald (Jerry) J. Milder passed away on July 26, 2024, at Colonial Manor in Columbus Junction, Iowa. 

Funeral services will be held at 10:30 am Friday, August 2, 2024, at St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Iowa City (Sunday parking ordinance will be in effect for streets around the church).  Visitation will be from 4 to 7 pm Thursday at Gay & Ciha Funeral and Cremation Service.  Burial on Friday will take place at the Brick Chapel/North Scott Cemetery in rural Johnson County.  A memorial fund has been established in Jerry’s memory.  

Jerry was born in Page, North Dakota on May 5, 1927, to John and Gertrude Milder and was one of 17 siblings.  The Milder family moved quite often to find work and eventually settled into the Iowa City area.  Jerry signed up for the Army Air Corps in 1944 at the age of 17 and after graduating from St. Mary’s High School in 1945, went to Basic Training at Kessler Field in Alabama.  In 1946, Jerry was sent to Germany as a demolition technician to reduce the number of fighter airplanes left after the war ended.  Jerry blew up 25 P-51’s, 55 P-47’s as well as many others.  He said” what could be more fun than an 18 - year-old with a backpack full dynamite blowing things up.” In February 1947, he was discharged and returned home.

In September of 1947, Jerry enrolled into the Spartan School of Aeronautics in Miami, Oklahoma and earned a commercial pilots license and flight instructor rating.  Unfortunately, there was little demand for pilots or instructors.  Jerry found work in Iowa City at the Skelly Service station north of downtown and met his future bride, Pauline.  They married in 1950 and lived near Conesville, Iowa where Jerry worked for the famers in the area and Pauline taught 3rd grade in Columbus Junction.  In 1956, they purchased a farm north of West Branch where they planted corn and soybeans, harvested hay for livestock and raised four sons.  Jerry also started working a full-time job at the University of Iowa Power Plant in 1957.

After several years of farming and working fulltime, Jerry renewed his pilot certificate in 1970.  His first airplane was an Aeronca Champ.  In 1973, the farm north of West Branch was sold and the family farm on the east side of Iowa City was purchased.  Jerry put in a grass runway and upgraded his airplane to a Piper PA-12.  Jerry belonged to Antique Airplane Association, had many pilot friends and went to many airshows in Blakesburg, Iowa and Oshkosh, Wisconsin.  After retiring in 1980, Jerry and Pauline moved to a lake home in Fayette, Missouri but after a few years, health issues found them moving back to Iowa.  Jerry went to work for the Iowa City Schools and also returned to farming.  Health issues continued to plague both of them and in 2004, they both moved into Emerson Point Assisted Living.  After Pauline’s passing in 2011 and after 61 years of marriage, Jerry continued to help out at Emerson Point Assisted Living by driving residents to shopping and doctor appointments.  When Jerry turned 90, a big party with blue grass music, family and cake was held at Emerson Point, where Jerry danced up a storm to everyone’s delights.  Soon after, his health started declining and he was transferred to Colonial Manor where his son, Wayne, would provide frequent visits and take him out for family gatherings.

Gerald is preceded in death by his parents, John and Gertrude Milder, and 15 of his siblings, Pauline, his wife of 61 years and grandson Travis Milder.

Gerald is survived by his brother, Eugene (Betty) Milder, four sons, Francis (Cheryl) Milder, Dan (Julie Myers), Wayne (Nadine Wheeler) and Brad (Mary) Milder; grandchildren, Dirck Milder (Angie), Skylar Lawrence, Jacob Milder (Stacey), Hailey Milder and Heather Milder and several great children.